Bakelants was severely injured in a crash at the 2017 Giro di Lombardia when he crashed into a ravine on a fast descent, fracturing seven ribs and the first and third vertebrae. He did not lose consciousness and was transferred to the hospital in Como.[6] The crash left Bakelants 1 centimetre (0.39 inches) shorter.[7] After his crash, Bakelants spoke out about safety standards in cycling and Chris Froome's salbutamol case. He hoped to return to racing in March 2018,[8] and did so at the Classic Loire Atlantique in France.